RACE REPORT: LVMS – John Hunter Nemechek / No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra

By:
On:
In: Xfinity Series News
KEY NOTES
 
  • John Hunter Nemechek (JHN) and the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets team brought the Toyota GR Supra to a 12th place finish in the Alsco Uniforms 300 — tying the highest finish the team has recorded so far in 2022 (Ryan Truex, Daytona).
  • John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra were eighth fastest on the leaderboard in Friday’s 20-minute practice and 10th fastest in single-car qualifying.
  • When melee ensued on Lap 188, JHN avoided an incident off of Turn-4 by way of pit road. The team elected to pit at this time due to flat tires from the avoidance. This stop resulted in a penalty due to pit road being closed. JHN restarted 12th on the final restart of the race from the tail end of the field.
  • Sam Hunt Racing recorded its highest finish at the 1.5-mile track in Las Vegas, Nevada — 12th.
 
RACE RECAP
 
Stage One Recap (Laps 1-45)
  • John Hunter Nemechek (JHN) started 10th Saturday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra.
  • By the Lap 4 caution period, JHN had moved up to the 7th position.
  • The caution flew on Lap 15 for debris, but soon turned into a red flag for snow in the desert.
  • At the conclusion of Stage One, JHN reported the car was fighting tight handling conditions, so Crew Chief Allen Hart called for handling adjustments, four tires and fuel.
Stage Two Recap (Laps 54-84)
  • JHN started 14th in Stage Two and reported that the handling adjustments were in the right direction.
  • The No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra finished Stage Two in the 8th position.
  • A Lap 84 caution ended the second stage early.
  • The No. 26 pit crew implemented another round of handling adjustments to free-up the No. 26 machine in addition to four tires and fuel.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 94-200)
  • The No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra started the final stage in the 10th position.
  • JHN reported the car continued to battle tight conditions, especially on the long-run.
  • Lap 146 – the crew completed a green-flag-pit-stop for additional handling adjustments, four tires and fuel.
  • Lap 177 caution period – four tires, fuel and handling adjustments.
  • On the Lap 188 caution, JHN avoided an incident off of Turn-4 by way of pit road. The team elected to pit at this time due to flat tires from the avoidance. This stop resulted in a penalty due to pit road being closed. JHN restarted from the tail end of the field.
  • JHN and the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra team finished 12th in the 300-mile race.
 
 
QUOTES
 
 
Image by Daylon Barr Photography
 
What were your thoughts on today’s race?
 
“Decent day. We qualified 10th. We started out pretty good — we had a couple of pretty good restarts. Ran inside the Top-5 a little bit. We ran inside the Top-10 most of the day. Short runs were our strong point, so we’ve got a little bit of work to do for when we come back here in the Fall, but overall a solid day.”
 
— John Hunter Nemechek, Driver of the No. 26 Berry’s Bullets Toyota GR Supra
 
Sam Hunt Racing PR
Speedway Digest Staff
Follow Me
Latest posts by Speedway Digest Staff (see all)
Post Views: 103